Talk to me about reusable nappies

[GloriaMaximus]

I've tried to research but I'm a little overwhelmed. Please, if you use them or plan to, help me 😩

What brand did you go for? Did you buy a kit? Where did you get your initial information? Am I forgetting to ask an important question? 😂. Thanks everyone!

We got a trial kit and lots of advice from our local nappy library (for free). That allowed us to try out lots of different types and see what worked for us so I'd definitely look to see if you have one local to you to start with. I'd also recommend the nappy lady - she has a questionnaire on her website you can fill in for advice. We actually ended up using disposables until my son fit into birth to potty nappies at around 10 weeks (he was prem though so a full term baby would probably fit sooner and there are plenty of ways to cloth from birth if you want to). Now we use motherease wizard unos in the day (all-in-ones so very simple but brand is difficult to get hold of at the moment and not the cheapest option) and a tots bots bamboozle with a wool wrap at night. We love them, no leaks, easy to use... now I just need to convince nursery to try them too

A trial kit is a great idea to test out a few different varieties and find what suits you. Be aware that birth to potty (BTP) nappies are very unlikely to actually fit from birth unless you have a real chunk. DD is 75th percentile but has slim little legs and her BTP nappies only really started to fit after a couple of months. Muslins under a waterproof wrap are recommended if you want to cloth from birth. I was a bit intimidated by this but wish I'd tried it as buying specific newborn nappies is pretty costly for how long they fit and DD was out-weeing hers before she had outgrown them.

www.thenappylady.co.uk/news/choosing-your-nappy-system/two-parter-all-in-one-pocket-nappy-or-all-in-two-nappy.html

This explains the different types of system and filling in the nappy lady questionnaire is helpful to prioritise what matters to you. We didn't end up buying her recommendations but it made me realise what I wanted from a cloth nappy. If you have limited drying facilities then all-in-ones probably won't be practical as they take a long time to dry. Some people want a very slim nappy whereas others don't mind baby rocking a massive cloth bum :) If your baby will be in childcare you'll want something really simple to put on but if you will mainly be changing yourself you may want to try out slightly more complex nappies such a terries. So fill in the questionnaire and consider what you need from a nappy but don't be tied to what it comes back with.

We were recommended bumgenius elementals which look fab but are about £20 a pop. We ended up instead using a range of pocket nappies from baba and boo, little lambs, Alva and littles and bloomz. They range from about £4 a nappy to about £15 and I've got on great with them.

Follow cloth nappies UK on Facebook for great advice and Clean Cloth Nappies to get your head around a fab wash routine.

Finally, if you are going to buy anything then Real Nappy Week is normally around April time so if you can hold fire until then you can normally get some great discounts and deals. Definitely get some little lamb bamboo boosters as they are fab to add to any nappy to boost the absorbency :)

Wow both of you thank you so much!

Not using cloth nappies with my newborn yet but I am thinking about it in the summer when they're easier to dry. But dont know if youve considered cheeky wipes? We've found them to be well worth the money.

We travelled to a shop after finding all the options online too complicated and knowing nothing about them. We brought a kit of what we thought seemed the most convenient option (tots bots peenut - a 2 part system). We used those and cloth wipes until DC was about 15 months. I sold my tots bots recently and reinvested in a different brand and type (Bambino Mio all in one's - of which I had one previously brought as a test) as they suited the shape of my DC so much better. DC is 2 now and still in the new type (all in ones). They're convenient and a better fit (for us).
I have another on the way and as a pp said, birth to potty (which my all in one's are) aren't likely to fit straight away so I have brought a pre loved bundle of size 1 little lamb nappies - still a two part system but I rate these ones well as I use them as night nappies on my DC1.

It's often trial and error to find out what works for you and your baby.

I'm a nappy library volunteer now and would highly recommend you hire a kit from your local nappy library when baby arrives so you can test out what works.

Happy to answer any more specific questions you may have.

I think it's best either to get a good variety of different types to try, which could be via a nappy library or second hand so it isn't too expensive, or to choose nappies that are very flexible and can be used in different ways to suit different shaped babies. I went for the latter and bought cotton terries and prefolds (Miosoft) with separate PUL wraps (Nature Babies worked better for us than the Miosoft ones and also fitted well with the terries) for day and lanolised knitted wool/alpaca covers for night. We also have hemp boosters and a few all-in-one nappies, Bumgenius Elementals, to wear with slimmer fitting clothes.

I made a list of criteria to help me choose my nappies and then picked what met them best. My reasons were:

Allergy friendly and biodegradable natural fibres also separate wraps and woollen covers minimise the amount of plastic used.

Flexible so likely to work well for any baby, allowing me to use the same nappies on subsequent children and ensuring they could be adapted to suit changes in shape or behaviour as the child grew.

Will be suitable from birth (lots of BtP nappies aren't) as I didn't want to use any disposables

Wool covers are cool and breathable so great on hot nights when you wouldn't want your baby's bum in a plastic bag! Also they allow the water in the urine to evaporate so they last longer without a change overnight.

Can be vigorously hot washed if needed after rotavirus vaccs and during stomach upsets

Fast drying and can be pan boiled (apart from PUL wraps and all-in- ones) if handwashing due to broken washing machine or away from home without access to a machine.

Available in plain white so doesn't show under baby clothes.

Lots of good advice above. I’d second the vote for a range of different types due to fit and also lifestyle- a mix of quick dry, cute but expensive, long lasting etc. Start with enough for one wash and you can expand as you go. Also use cheeky wipes from newborn- so much better at cleaning than disposables.

We got a newborn trial set from the local nappy library.
We also got a couple of free ones from the council.
I got some advice from the nappy lady and her website. Joined her Facebook group as well.
Worked out what worked for us and went from there.

Don't feel a pressure to go full time with them straight away. Work out what you like before spending a lot.

We use a mix of tots bots, a few randoms and motherease (rare as hens teeth currently).